Friday night, Febraury 5th, I decided to go straight from the Michigan International Auto Show and give support to another great charity!
Stacy Thompson (from WOTV4) and I ventured down the street from the DeVos Place to the BOB where tons of locals gathered for charity and sweets!
The Leading for Our Kids-Sweeter Charity event took over Eve nightclub at the top of the BOB, benefiting the Helen DeVos Childrens hospital. The event featured tons of yummy deserts including some of my personal favorites! Pretty much everything chocolate-I had to taste!

Some of the sweets menu items inclued the delicious Mini Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache, Chocolate Cups with Chocolate Mousse, Mini Carrot Cake Martini, Chocolate Dipped Strawberries, Strawberry Shortcake Shooters, Key Lime Mousse Cups with Graham Cracker Crust, and a Signature Chocolate Martinis and Champagne Table!
I enjoyed friendly conversation with tons of charitable locals, a silent auction, and live entertainment from the Fred Knapp trio.

Last year, they raised over $12,000! Which is wonderful since this amount came from the future donors of Grand Rapids!
The event is directed at the young professionals of the Grand Rapids community to instill a spirit of giving at a young age. One local who attended the charity stated; “As we all know it will take thousands of donors to fill the shoes of Grand Rapids’ current tremendous philanthropists.”
Hats off to Eve and The Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital for a wonderfully “sweet” charity event!

 On Saturday February 6, 2010 I was honored to be named the Mistress of Ceremonies for an amzazing charity gala held at DeVos Place downtown.
The Project Cool Gala, “A Jazzy Affair” was held in memory of its founder Mrs. Minnie Farris.
Project Cool (Christians opening opprortunites for learning) is a non profit organization which is committed to training unrepresented youth and preparing them for higher education and placement in the workplace.
The gala was held at the DeVos Place this past weekend where Project COOL students were celebrated for their wonderful contributions to the community, while bettering themselves through advaced training and scholastic acheivement.
Over a hunderd people enjoyed dancing and jazz music played by the students, along with the silent auction table filled with jewlery, art work, books, gift baskets, and certificates from some of West Michigans hotspots!
Project Cool is a unique and wonderful opportunity for young students to stive for higher education while learning about the work place for future employment. While involved in the organization, mentors and coaches train the studens on interview techniques, appropriate work attire, timeliness
and punctuality.
Students in the Grand Rapids area who are from the ages of 14-18 with a GPA of 2.0 or higher, and interested in attending college, and future employment with local buisnesses should contact Project CooL.
Applications for the 2010 summer employment will be taken March 27-April 4.
I am extremely excited to be a part of such a wonderful organization! The silent auction raised $1,200 and the gala raised $2,500 which will benefit the American Cancer Association in Minnie Farris’ name.
If you would like more information on how you or someone you know can become involved in Project COOL as a student, volunteer, or to make a donation, contact the office of
Project COOL at 616-243-4354 or log onto www.projectcool.com

Yesterday was my first live broadcast with WOTV 4! And actually my first live broadcast ever! I had the opportunity to work as the offical co host with Maranda, broadcasting live from DeVos Place for the 12th Annual Michigan International Auto Show! I had an amazing time, and realized that not only is live so much different from pre-taped broadcasts, but its also a ton of fun!
The day started at 9am from DeVos Place where I was a guest of Joy’s and skyped on Eight West, and then it was off to rehearsals and runthroughs for the big event! The live Charity Gala Preview!
The broadcast began at 7pm from inside the showroom, and for the one hour segment Maranda and I ran back and forth between some of the hottest cars, interviewing owners of local dealerships and drooling over the most beautiful cars on the market. Some of the cars included the all new 2011 Ford Mustang GT featuring a powerful 5.0L V8 engine kicking out 412 HP! Some of my other favorites were the Cadillac CT-S, Cadillac Escalade Hybrid Platinum, and a new little compact with a lot of get up and go…the all new Ford Fiesta which will be coming out this summer!
I was so greatful to be working with such an amazing team from WOTV, especially Maranda who told me stories about her first live broadcast from the auto show years ago! Thank you to WOTV 4 for an amazing night, and to all of the wonderful dealership owners who made my job easy by being so much fun to interview! Im looking forward to the upcoming weekend where I will be sitting next to the girls from Eight West, and by my brand new Kia Soul!
This is such a fun event, which benefits the Helen DeVos Childrens Hospital! I hope to see you there!

Video 175Imagine an organization right here in West Michigan, which taught young girls not only the importance of healthy living, but also about self esteem and self respect! Well, I have found just the organization! And I was completely blown away!
The Grand Rapids “Girls on the Run” organization is a program for girls eight to thirteen years old, and holds practices which train the girls for the exciting 5K run at the end of each season. The “Girls on the Run” organization says that the goal is to encourage positive, emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical development.
I had the opportunity to meet some of these amazing young athletes at the shoe fitting on Monday night at Northview High School which kicked off the season. Each girl was fitted for a new pair of shoes that she would then practice in, and eventually run the 5k in.
I am extremely excited to be on board this season! If you would like more information on how you or someone you know could join in the fun, you can contact Lori Burgess of the Kent County chapter at: director@kcgotr.org
I can’t wait for this exciting new season….”Girls on the Run is so much Fun!” (We learned this cheer on Monday-the girls know what I’m talking about!)

On Monday, January 25th the famous downtown BOB venue hosted an amazingly successful event! A night of food, fun, and live music; all for the sake of charity. The annual “Soups for All” event was packed with hundreds of West Michigan locals, all to benefit “God’s Kitchen.” The BOB was filled with soup loving charity givers, and several local restaurants donated their favorite soups for sampling. Volunteers (including several on air talent from the station) worked as servers at the event. I had the pleasure of serving one of the most popular soups, White Chicken Chili, which was perhaps the best white chicken chili I have ever tasted…(sorry dad). Other volunteer servers included Eva Aguirre Cooper, Kyle Underwood, Matt Kirkwood, Rachael Ruiz, and Laura Velasquez from the station. We all enjoyed our time serving and mingling with guests, and listening to the band which played some of my all time favorite 1980’s hits. To top it all off, I had the opportunity to sing a little number with the band! Thank you so much to our wonderful West Michigan community, and all who made this event possible. This was my first time at the “Soups for All” benefit, and I would LOVE the opportunity to help out again next year!

I just returned from the Indianapolis International Auto Show, which was a ton of fun!  The show was held over the course of seven days at the Indianapolis Convention Center downtown Indianapolis. 

Several manufacturers were there to showcase their new product line up for 2010, and display  interactive and edutainment performances which added to the excitement of the show!  Some of the extra entertainment included a talking robot from the Ford display which spoke to and joked around with customers as they browsed the show floor.  GMC had a magician, and Toyota engaged consumers with live performances of an accapella singing trio called the “Kaizenettes”.   (Which I am so proud to be a part of).

Each day we sang songs about the brand, the new 2010 Prius, and the new 2011 Sienna-which will be out in the near future.  We also had a fun new addition to the display, as “Blue”, the Colts mascott jumped on stage to dance and conduct us as we sang!

Despite our economic times, the auto show flooor was packed each day with consumers who were either looking to purchase a new vehicle, or others who were simply there to view the newest concept vehicles, and be entertained. 

I had a lot of fun at the show, and encourage anyone who is interested in cars, or just likes having a good time, to come down to the Grand Rapids auto show coming this February!

You can see videos of the show with “Blue” the Colts mascott at the show by going to the “Face of 4″ page on Facebook.

So, I was sitting at my new desk at WOTV.  I was logged onto Facebook, and going over some of the exciting places that people were suggesting that I go to this year.  And I realized… besides what has aired on television (the interviews, promos, and finale) many of you many not really know that much about me!  Since I will be meeting so many of you out in the community this year, it may be fun to tell you a little about who Jordan really is….

(more…)

Recently I was invited to participate in an amazing charity event which was held  at EVE inside the BOB.  At 6:30 the seats were filled with hundreds of local supporters.  Several of West Michigan’s hottest spas, salons, and boutiques sponsored a charitable fashion show to benefit the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.  Eve was packed with charitable contributors, family, and friends, all for the sake of the children.

 Behind the scenes… models arrived hours early to begin the preparations for the lavish up-dos and swanky make-up applications, provided by Design 1 Salon and Spa. Dressing rooms were filled with gorgeous gowns, and fur coasts-not uncommon for a runway show. But this was no ordinary fashion show!

Most runway shows are synonymous for luxury couture, and six foot models in stilettos, but the stars of “this” show were undoubtedly the children who were featured from Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.

The children were amazing, and eager to strut their stuff down the runway in front of a packed house.  All of the children have been patients at the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, and wore adorable black and white floral patterns down the runway.

I was so fortunate to have been able to meet some of these special children backstage, and am grateful that I had the opportunity to take part in such a wonderful cause.  Charity and fashion-you’ve got to love it!

As the new “Face of 4″, WOTV kindly invited me to their annual holiday party!  Being the new kid on the block, I was excited to meet the amazing staff that makes up the WOTV family.

The holiday party was held at the beautiful Eastern Floral Warehouse downtown, which I had never been to before.  As soon as I walked in the doors, I was immediately greeted with friendly handshakes, smiles, and welcomes.  So many times I heard “Congratulations” and “Welcome to the team”!

I met so many of the wonderful on air talent, producers, and staff, which makes up the close knit family at WOTV.  I was ecstatic to be a part of such an amazing group of people.

Living in Grand Rapids almost my entire life, it was exciting to learn that many of my new co workers are actually friends of friends of mine, or people that I had met or known from other facets of my life here in West Michigan.

Along with the beautiful decor and floral arrangements, live music was provided by one of my new favorite bands-Nine Mile Smile.

I have to laugh when I recall part of the evening, when four of my new co-workers grabbed me by my arms and pulled me on the dance floor.  I had a blast!  (When there’s great music, I’m all about the dance floor!)  And while I was dancing, I thought to myself-WOW!  These are my new co workers!  How lucky am I!

What an amazing night! Last night was a dream come true!

It was the first night I really got a chance to spend quality time with the other top five contestants. They are each such amazingly wonderful people, both kind and enthusiastic.

Slideshow after the break.

(more…)